wingcommanderfandomcom-20200213-history
Invisible Enemy
|plot=The Kilrathi have a new and terrible weapon: the Stealth Fighter }} Invisible Enemy is the 11th episode of the Wing Commander Academy series. Plot Act 1 Maniac is flying with Emil Zoharian when he detects a Kilrathi ship on their Radar Displays. Easy ensures that sensors are clear and Maniac runs for the kill. Maniac evades the Kilrathi Destroyer's laser turrets with his acrobatics and launches a missile which destroys the ship, moments after it launches its own missile. It pursues Maniac until he shakes it and activates decoys which detonate the missile. He celebrates his kill to Easy, but he gets no response. He returns to the point where he last stood, and finds the debris of his Scimitar. Without knowing, a black Kilrathi ship resembling a Sartha is nearby. The Kilrathi pilot suppresses his urge to kill Maniac easily and just watches him leaving, leading him to his carrier. On the , Geoffrey Tolwyn performs Easy's funeral service and Maniac stands next to Maverick sobbing. Meanwhile outside the Claw, Archer and another pilot are escorting four transports when they witness the ceremonial shooting from the Claw, and Archer is overwhelmed by sadness. Meanwhile the pilot of the mysterious Kilrathi ship notes the convoy and leaves. He lands inside a Kilrathi Carrier and reports to a Kilrathi officer that he was undetected as he attacked the Human from behind. The superior considers a second test and is enraged to hear that he left the second pilot live, but once he hears that this revealed the position of the Claw, he orders the pilots to ready their fighters. In the Claw's mess hall, the pilots are having a meal. Maniac sits down with his dish but receives bitter remarks from the pilots (including Payback) who don't wish to sit next to him. He comments that he is as infamous as chipped beef on toast. He is approached by Maverick who scolds him about Easy's death, mentioning that he doesn't buy the report he gave to Tolwyn; most pilots think that Easy lost his life simply because Maniac was after another Kilrathi kill for his score. He continues on saying that nobody wishes to fly next to him any more, including those from the . Maniac is enraged and remarks that he is grounded anyway. Archer is about to stand up, but she is held by Grunt. Then the alarm sounds and all pilots are ordered to the hangar deck. Tolwyn is on the bridge and orders Maverick to have tactical command to protect the transports at all costs. A swarm of Scimitar launches from the Claw, and are engaged by a swarm of Sarthas and Grikaths. A Sartha approaches a transport, and as it evades its turrets, it is shot down by Payback. Tolwyn hears the pilot intercom while Maniac (still in his undershirt) arrives at the bridge. Raker reports laser fire but there is nothing on Maverick's sensors. Raker is down. The mysterious ship stalks Clipper who reports that he is hit. Maverick establishes visual contact with the pursuer and starts shooting at it, but it manages to evade Maverick and is again lost from sight. The Kilrathi pilot soon manages to establish a lock on Clipper and opens fire. Act 2 With a single shot, the mysterious ship severs the starboard wing from Clipper's Scimitar. He ejects and the Kilrathi is about to shoot the eject pod, but is interrupted by Maverick, who salvages Clipper's pod. He order Grunt to go after some Kilrathi who are attempting to move to the transports. Sarthas are killed but noone notices the mysterious ship which approaches the transports. Payback's engines are hit, Maverick retaliates with a missile, but she has to retreat from the battle. The moment Maverick celebrates killing two more Sarthas, the mysterious ship attacks the transports with laser shots and a special missile. Tolwyn who observes this from the bridge. (?) requests help from the Claw. Thurahl (?) orders the Kilrathi fighters to remove from sensor range, and he is heading back to the carrier to rearm. The Claw is salvaging the derelict of the Suffolk. A com-tech reports that fires are out and casualties have been transferred to the sickbay. Repair crews will attempt to have the engines on line. Maverick comes to the bridge and Tolwyn orders him to his quarters. There he reprimands Blair for neglecting his mission to protect the destroyed transports; he attempts to explain that sensors showed no fighter presence near them when they were destroyed, but Tolwyn grounds him until further notice. Maverick enters an elevator, joining two pilots from the Trafalgar. They make bitter comments about how the present cadets fly. Maverick is at a repair hangar watching as crews repair the Scimitars. Maniac is also there lonely. Maverick asks him if he scanned his sensors when Easy was killed as he finds their two situations similar. He speculates correctly that the Kilrathi might have a technology that evades the Confederation sensors, but Tolwyn claimed that they don't have this technology yet. Maya McEaddens tells them that the Confederation worked on a stealth ship for years. Maverick asks if the Kilrathi are using a test prototype and Maya is afraid that shuch craft might mean losing the Kilrathi War as the Confed has no defense. Maverick tells that he and Maniac devised a plan but they are both grounded, so they ask Maya to use the transport as a bait. The Kilrathi officer tells Thurahl that the craft is ready for the final test, and its success will signify the obliteration of the Terrans. The officer, who is a Kiranka, wishes to lead his escort to be a witness of that event. He reminds him that the Strakha must not fall into Terran hands, a reminding which Thurahl considers dishonoring. Tolwyn oversees the repairs on the transport through a window. He is approached by Dr. Guthrig Andropolos who starts telling him that pride is the worst enemy, as it causes one to sacrifice himself for it. Tolwyn comments that he understands why all the cadets hate Andropolos and wishes to hear no more. Maverick and Maniac enter a hangar where two Ferret-like fighters are parked. Meanwhile Maya meddles with a console and an alarm sounds signifying an overload in the main fuel cell. She orders the crew out of the ship. Fearing that the Suffolk will explode, Tolwyn orders to cut her loose and to come about away from it. Meanwhile, Maverick and Maniac board the fighters. Maniac remarks that if it doesn't work, they will be busted from the Academy, and Maverick amends that if it doesn't work, they won't be able to come back. Act 3 Maniac and Maverick approach the derelict transport and land their fighters inside its hangar. The Kilrathi forces are approaching and detect the transport which fell behind. Thurahl wants to destroy it before continuing, but the officer insists to destroy the Claw first. Maverick argues with Maniac about who's whose Wingman when they feel the laser fire. They set out and pursue the Strakha. Turahl's shield are failing and he requests for assistance. Soon Sarthas move to his rescue. On the Claw, an officer tells Tolwyn that the Suffolk is blowing up and two fighters are shooting at "nothing". Tolwyn understand that there must be something the pilots saw, but his own pride did not let him see it, and orders fighters to be launched. Maverick and Maniac keep on shooting the Strakha until it loses control and rolls disabled in space. The pilots ask the Kilrathi to surrender, who in response self-destructs the ship. The blast briefly pushes the fighters away. Once they regain control, they are engaged by the Sarthas. Maverick is shot and loses control and tells Maniac to leave, which he refuses, as he is responsible for his wingman. Maniac keeps shooting down the Sarthas one by one protecting Maverick, until joined by Payback and Grunt, who saves Maverick's life. Only the leader is left alive. Payback without hesitation fires a missile and kills him. On the Claw, Tolwyn debriefs Maverick and Maniac, he admits his mistake of denying the existence of a stealth fighter, but this didn't give them the right to disobey orders. He decides to forget the event, commenting that nobody did anything to be proud of. Outside, Archer wants to apologise to Maniac saying that she shouldn't believe that he'd ever sacrifice his wingman for more glory. Maverick and Maniac walk down the corridor boasting once more about who is the best pilot, and who will save whom. Trivia *The pair of ships Maverick and Maniac fly seem to be a cameo appearance of Ferrets, however they seem to be very different from the game appearances *There is a major mistake near the end of the episode: moments after the destruction of the Strakha, another arrives and attacks the duo. The ship was intended to be a Sartha, as it is changed to one in the next scene when it is destroyed. *The unnamed cyan-haired com-tech is also seen in the episode Recreation. 11